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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0717

Treating the underserved, training the next generation: psychiatric services in student-run free clinics

TREATING THE UNDERSERVED, TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION: PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES IN STUDENT-RUN FREE CLINICS

Psychiatric services in student-run free clinics primarily provide treatment for depression and anxiety to uninsured and underserved patients and positively influence students’ interest in psychiatry, but published outcome data remain limited.

The aim of the study was to describe the scope, patient populations, clinical outcomes, and educational impact of psychiatric services provided in student-run free clinics (SRFCs). Since there is no central registry of SRFCs providing psychiatric services, clinics were identified through searches of institutional websites, clinic directories, conference abstracts, and databases of peer-reviewed literature. Twenty-two clinics with dedicated psychiatric services were identified, but only 10 had outcome data published in peer-reviewed journals, and the findings were based on these 10 clinics. All 10 clinics served uninsured or underserved patients; among clinics reporting demographic data, 3 identified patients experiencing homelessness, 2 identified Hispanic or Latino patients, 1 identified refugees and immigrants, and 1 identified LGBTQ+ patients as priority populations. Among the 7 clinics reporting diagnostic data, the most common diagnoses were depression (5 of 7 clinics) and anxiety disorders (4 of 7 clinics). In the 2 clinics with detailed diagnostic data, depressive disorders were reported in 62% to 71% of patients and anxiety disorders in 25% to 68%. Regarding educational impact, across 4 clinics, 40% to 88% of student volunteers reported that the experience positively influenced their perceptions of psychiatry or their interest in the field. According to the authors, although psychiatric SRFCs show promise in reducing mental health disparities and increasing student interest, the evidence remains preliminary; few clinics publish outcomes, reporting varies, and standardized outcome measures and follow-up are needed.

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